


The Hiss-terical Halloween of Oberon Smoak

by andachippedcup



Series: The Obie Extended Universe (OEU) [2]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cat, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Light-Hearted, Pet, Star Wars References
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:02:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27275371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andachippedcup/pseuds/andachippedcup
Summary: Oliver and Felicity have been dating for six months and Oliver's finally ready to make an important introduction. The last thing he expects is for things to go so well that the next thing he knows, they're making plans for a group Halloween costume.
Relationships: Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak
Series: The Obie Extended Universe (OEU) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1885321
Comments: 23
Kudos: 142





	The Hiss-terical Halloween of Oberon Smoak

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MagusLibera](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagusLibera/gifts).



> This fic is dedicated to my dear friend Abby, @maguslibera who is a gem of a human and a constant bright spot. Abby, I hope your day is at least a fraction as wonderful as you are. Thank you for bringing so much love, laughter, and light into my life with your friendship. I'm very glad you were born, my dear. <3 
> 
> And if anyone reading this hasn't, please do yourself a favor and go check out her fics (she goes by the same handle on AO3 and on Twitter). Abby is a brilliant and gifted writer and her fics are a delight.

As he ascends the stairs to Felicity’s walkup apartment, Oliver feels more than a little apprehensive. At his side, William is chattering animatedly, seemingly sharing none of his father’s anxiety over the coming introduction. But that’s classic William - he’s bright and charming and stoic. He takes everything in stride and Oliver honestly doesn’t know where the boy gets it from. Must be a trait he picked up from his mother.

His mother, who will positively _kill_ Oliver if this meeting goes poorly and Samantha finds out about it. No pressure, right? 

Summoning his courage as they arrive on Felicity’s floor, Oliver takes a deep breath and looks to his son, who seems puzzled as to why Oliver is delaying. 

“Ready, bud?” Oliver asks, half hoping that William will have a change of heart. 

“Yeah Dad, come on already!” 

Well. There goes that hope. William is apparently far braver than he is. Steadying himself, Oliver raises a hand and does the scary thing: he knocks on her door. He can hear the soft sounds of movement beyond just before the door cracks open a smidge, revealing Felicity’s face in the sliver of open space. 

“Hey you,” she grins and Oliver can’t help but smile back at her despite his nerves. 

“Hey,” he returns with a nervous flutter of his hands, glancing back at his son and then back to Felicity. “Are you ready for this introduction?” 

It’s been nearly six months and though Oliver has been afraid of and putting off this moment, there’s no delaying any longer. It’s time for this meeting to happen, even if it makes him nervous.

“As I’ll ever be,” Felicity responds eagerly, sounding not at all as worried as he is. Oliver nods to show his readiness, ignoring the pit in his stomach as he does so. Felicity closes the door and he hears her throwing the chain before she opens the door wide. This time, she has a wriggling ball of fluff grasped firmly in her hands and she holds it aloft as she peers around it to where William is waiting in the hallway beyond. “Hi William!” 

“Hi Felicity!” William chirps familiarly as he and Oliver step quickly into the apartment, closing the door sharply behind them. With the door safely closed, Felicity releases her hold on the furball and it springs from her arms to the ground, immediately going and winding itself around William’s legs.

“William, I’d like for you to meet Oberon Smoak! Or as I fondly call him, Obie,” Felicity murmurs happily as her gargantuan cat rubs itself up against William’s legs. For as pleased as Felicity looks at this initial meeting, Oliver feels ill. He’s been avoiding having ‘the kids meet’ as Felicity has put it, precisely because he’s rather afraid of what Oberon could do to a child that’s scarcely bigger than he is. Oliver can’t help but marvel at how Felicity’s able to be so nonchalant about letting her monstrous pet near an innocent, defenseless child. But instead of looking terrified at the hulking creature swarming his feet, William lights up as he hears Felicity’s introduction. 

“Obie? Like... Obi Wan Kenobi?!” William questions, glancing up at Felicity in excitement. Felicity’s face alights with joy and a wide smile steals across her lips as she nods ecstatically. 

“Yes! Precisely! I wanted him to have a stately name from Shakespeare, but I wanted him to have a cute nickname so it was between Oberon and Benvolio, and Ben-”

“Like Ben Solo?!” William cuts in and Felicity nearly squeals in joy.

“EXACTLY LIKE BEN SOLO!” Felicity is beside herself with joy as she looks up to Oliver, silently mouthing the words ‘ _I love him!’_ at her boyfriend. It’s hardly the first time Felicity and William have met but every time, the boy seems to do something new to earn him Felicity’s undying love. Today? It’s his knowledge of all things Star Wars that has her giddy. Last time, it was his appreciation for all things Doctor Who. According to Felicity, the ‘cool gene’ must have skipped a generation because William is hip on all the nerdy stuff Felicity loves and Oliver doesn’t have a clue about. 

Watching his girlfriend and his son geek out together though? That’s insanely cool in Oliver’s book. It’s one of the many reasons why he loves Felicity - even if she teases him mercilessly for not having completed the Harry Potter series (something she is in the process of rectifying). 

“Anyway, I couldn’t in good conscience name him Benvolio and nickname him after Ben Solo after what he did to Han!” Felicity explains matter of factly and Oliver is already lost - both because he doesn’t know Shakespeare and because he doesn’t know much of Star Wars beyond what Felicity has already taught him. 

“Smart call,” William nods sagely, kneeling down to pet the cat in question. Oliver cringes and reaches to stop his son but before he can the damn cat has flopped down on the ground at William’s feet and rolls onto his back in a bid to get William to rub his stomach. And his son is only too eager to comply. As Oliver watches, William scratches Obie’s exposed middle and the cat’s trademark brass purr punctuates the stillness. 

“Aww, he likes you William!” Felicity chirps and William beams up at her enthusiastically. 

“Really?!” 

“Yeah! Showing you his tummy is a sign of trust and that purr? That’s a telltale sign that he’s a fan of yours,” Felicity confirms, squatting down beside William to stroke fondly at her pet cat. “Of course, this isn’t at all surprising to me - _I_ love you so why shouldn’t Obie? He has good taste in people,” Felicity remarks as Obie wriggles beneath her touch until his head is in the palm of her hand, allowing her to rub behind his ears. Oliver watches on from the safety of his vantage point, a good couple feet away. It never ceases to amaze him how this leonine feline can be such a puddle of goo in Felicity’s hands, but a total monster when left alone with Oliver. 

As such, Obie’s supposedly warm reception of William? Yeah, Oliver’s not trusting it one bit. The moment Felicity is out of sight, they’ll see what the cat _really_ thinks of William. 

“Hey Felicity, can I use your bathroom?” William inquires after a few minutes and Felicity nods, gesturing into the apartment.

“Absolutely! It’s down that hallway, first door on your right!” Felicity explains and William says a quick ‘thank you’ before he hurries that direction. But to Oliver’s horror, when William departs? He has a furred shadow. 

“Oh my gosh, Obie’s following him,” Felicity giggles softly, grabbing Oliver’s hand with one of hers and covering her mouth with the other. And she’s right - Obie is doggedly following Oliver’s son as he heads for the bathroom and it’s all Oliver can do not to shout a warning to the boy. What Felicity probably sees as Obie following along in a friendly manner looks decidedly like his girlfriend’s pet is hunting his son. Oliver is definitely not a fan of this mental image.

“Make sure you lock the door behind you!” Oliver calls at his son’s retreating figure. William turns to look at Oliver, clearly puzzled.

“What?” 

Felicity picks up on Oliver’s train of thought and jumps in with a smile. “Obie can open doors and based on how he’s following you, he just might open the door on you otherwise,” Felicity explains and William snorts, looking down at the cat lingering near his feet appreciatively. 

“Your cat can open doors?! That’s _so_ cool.” 

Cool?! That’s one word for it. ‘Terrifying’ is another, in Oliver’s mind. His son disappears down the hallway and Oliver joins Felicity in edging deeper into the apartment so they can see Obie. Sure enough, the cat stretches out and tries the door handle, only to find it firmly locked. Not to be deterred, the monster lets out a monstrous wail, then seats himself before the door, his tail lashing about impatiently. Oliver and Felicity can hear the sound of William giggling from within the bathroom, clearly having heard Obie’s dissatisfied complaint. 

By the time the young boy finishes up a minute or so later, Obie is still sitting not-so-patiently outside the bathroom waiting for him. The moment he hears the sound of William unlocking the door, Obie rockets to his feet and when William opens the bathroom door, it’s to a chorus of noises that Felicity insists are ‘happy meows’.

To Oliver’s ears they sound like tiny battle cries, but whatever. 

Before William can even take a step to rejoin the adults though, Obie is on his hind legs, his front paws squarely on William’s chest as he stretches out to sniff the boy. It’s shocking to see how massive the cat is - if anything, Oliver would say he’s grown since the last time he saw him. The cat is nearly as long as William is tall and he very gently puts his paws on William’s face as he scrabbles to be close to him. His son is all smiles and kneels down to allow Obie to inspect him more thoroughly and in short order the cat is rubbing against the child, alternating between loud purrs and vociferous meows. 

By the time William joins Felicity and Oliver on the couch for the start of the movie night they’d come over here to enjoy, it’s clear that a new alliance has formed. Much to Oliver’s chagrin, it’s clear that Obie has coerced William into joining his side. And if Oliver’s learned anything from watching the first few Star Wars movies with Felicity? It’s that Obie _definitely_ represents the dark side of the force. 

Or, so Oliver will insist. 

And from these humble beginnings springs an unlikely but powerful friendship; William is entirely taken with Obie and the cat is seemingly equally a fan of the boy. Oliver finds himself inundated by requests from William to go to Felicity’s to see her, yes - but also to see Obie. Not only that? William begins asking if Obie can have a sleepover and the mere thought of inviting that hell beast into his house - let alone into his son’s room - gives Oliver chills. 

His son is only six, after all. How’s he going to fight off a demon cat the likes of Obie if (and when) the monster turns on him? 

Worse still? William has begun to clamor for a cat ‘just like Obie’ and Oliver knows for certain that that will _not_ be happening, nope. Having one monstrously large feline in his life is already too much, no way is he going to invite another one into his life. 

With this in mind and hoping to keep all talks of getting a cat of his own at bay, Oliver invites Felicity and Obie to a sleepover with him and William. Felicity is delighted at the concept and happily agrees, which would make Oliver inordinately happy if it didn’t also mean that Oberon Smoak will be invading his home for the next twelve plus hours. 

Felicity arrives on the appointed day with all of Obie’s extensive gear in tow (Oliver had no concept of just how much _stuff_ the damn cat requires - a litter box, a food and water bowl, toys, and a scratcher all for an overnight stay?!). They set the beast up in William’s room - at his insistence - and then Oliver spends the rest of the evening watching the cat like a hawk. 

To his credit, Obie seems a little more reserved in this new environment and he spends a good amount of time exploring and inspecting Oliver’s home. But by the time the trio of humans and their cat companion have finished dinner, the cat is getting comfortable. 

Too comfortable. 

Oliver watches as William and Obie enjoy a prolonged game of fetch. Later, when William and Felicity are playing video games, the cat curls up in William’s lap and falls asleep. And during the Star Wars show (The Maldovian? Something like that, Oliver doesn’t quite catch it) that William animatedly turns on that evening? Oberon is draped across William’s shoulders like a scarf. The boy spends the entire show absentmindedly stroking the cat’s impressive ruff as Oliver watches on from his vantage, Felicity snuggled against him on the other side of the couch. 

“Hey Dad?”

“Yes William?”

“Can we all dress up for Halloween together?” William inquires innocently after the first episode ends and Oliver glances down to Felicity curiously. She grins and nods, pressing a soft kiss to Oliver’s shoulder as she sits up.

“I think that sounds like a great idea,” Oliver answers and William beams. 

“Can we do a group costume?!” William presses his advantage and once more, Oliver looks to his girlfriend. They haven’t even celebrated their one year anniversary - he’s not sure if this might be too much for her. But to his delight, Felicity’s nose crinkles happily and she responds positively. 

“Oh, I think we definitely have to. What did you have in mind big man?!” Felicity inquires and William beams as Obie seems to melt off of his shoulders and into his lap, like a puddle of furry goo. Even as Oliver watches, Obie puts his paws around William’s arm, as if clinging to him. 

Ugh.

“Star Wars?!” William suggests hopefully and Felicity suddenly sits bolt upright alongside Oliver. 

“Oh my gosh, that’s a _genius_ idea, William! Sign me up! I call dibs on the purple lightsaber!”

And for a short while, Oliver is able to lose himself in the humor and excitement of William’s proposed group Halloween idea. Watching his son and girlfriend nerd out about their shared love of Star Wars, while it still remains a largely foreign language to him, is something he enjoys tremendously. As much as her damnable cat has latched onto his son, it has not escaped Oliver’s notice that William and Felicity? They get on like a house on fire. It’s something he never dared to hope for but it is a dream come true to see it play out.

In truth, it makes him love Felicity even more, seeing how much she loves his boy. And as for how Obie loves William? Well. Perhaps Oliver despises him a little less acutely. Just a little. It’s hard to hate the cat when he’s so fixated on William the whole night through, his constant shadow and companion.

They’re inseparable for the entirety of the sleepover. When William is brushing his teeth and getting ready for bed, the damn cat is at his feet, looking up and watching every move that Oliver’s son makes. And when Oliver goes to tuck William into bed? The freaking cat is already up on the mattress with William, sprawled out tucked against William’s side. His son looks up, his face awash with joy, and quietly explains that ‘Obie wanted to snuggle’. 

No way is this real. Nope. Oliver doesn’t trust it for a second. He’s only narrowly talked out of setting up one of William’s old baby monitors in the room by Felicity, who insists that Oliver is being ridiculous. According to her, Obie sleeps in her bed all the time and he’s never once scratched her, or smothered her, or done anything else dangerous, so Oliver hasn’t got a leg to stand on. 

Thankfully, he’s soon distracted by Felicity and _their_ side of the sleepover but even still, a tiny part of him remains vigilant. Just in case. After all, he’s a dad - he can’t help but be a little protective of his boy. Even in the face of furry, overlarge cats with potentially nefarious intentions.

When the morning comes, William is safe and sound and perfectly content for having had Obie sleepover. Oliver, however, wakes to find that, sometime in the night, Obie let himself out of William’s room and deposited a rather sizable moth on Oliver’s pillow. Felicity insists that when cats do this, it’s a sign of them trying to care for you by providing you with food. Oliver insists that this is just another step in the silent war he and Obie are waging. 

After all, Oliver has seen all the Godfather movies. He knows what dead animals in a person’s bed means. Cat though he may be, this is a bloody act of warfare on Oberon’s part, plain and simple. 

But on the bright side? At least with Obie distracted by his focus on William, Oliver has gotten to enjoy a _very_ pleasant evening with his girlfriend, sans cat cockblock. It’s a small victory, but one Oliver will take gladly. 

(And okay yes maybe this night is a tie because of the deposit Obie left on his pillow but whatever. Oliver is in this for the long haul. He may not have won the day this go around but he’s damn sure going to win the war with this cat. It’ll take a heck of a lot more than a moth on his pillow to scare Oliver off of Felicity Megan Smoak. If he’s honest? He’s completely, totally, head over heels in love with her. Even in spite of her monster cat.)

_That Halloween..._

“Dad, come on!” William pleads and Oliver stares at his reflection in the mirror and sighs, wondering how such a seemingly innocent idea went so, _so_ wrong. 

“‘Let’s dress up for Halloween’, they said. ‘A group costume will be fun’ they said. Well. This is not my definition of fun,” Oliver sighs before he opens the bathroom door and steps out into the hall of Felicity’s apartment where she and William are waiting for him.

Felicity is dressed in a costume that looks similar to his own, all brown baggy, hooded robes with a little belt for their lightsabers. Hers is purple, at her insistence. His is green. All told, the costumes are pretty alright by Oliver’s standard. He can throw his hood up and he and Felicity have already had entirely too much fun having mock lightsaber battles. Honestly, he’s actually pretty pleased with their group costume.

William is dressed as the character from the Star Wars TV show he and Felicity have been gushing about (The Mandalorian, Oliver has been corrected enough times that he has now learned the show’s actual name). He’s got a pretty slick looking helmet, the cape, and all kinds of cool armor pieces to complete the ensemble. All in all, it’s pretty badass, if Oliver does say so himself. 

Considerably less badass, however, is the cheap baby stroller William and Felicity have outfitted to look like a floating sphere. It’s inside of this stroller that Obie now sits, wearing a ridiculous outfit that has given him the appearance of having overlarge, floppy green ears. 

“Is The Child ready to go trick or treating?!” Felicity inquires as William finishes adjusting part of the sphere-stroller creation.

“The Child is ready! He even has a frog in case he gets hungry!” William beams, holding aloft the tiny frog stuffed animal that he and Felicity have placed in the stroller along with Obie. 

“Are we really sure bringing Obie is a good idea?” Oliver broaches the subject for the umpteenth time, eliciting eyerolls from both his girlfriend and his son. 

“Dad! I can’t be the Mandalorian without Obie as my Baby Yoda!” William sighs and Oliver looks to Felicity, hoping to appeal to her better sensibility. 

“What if he jumps out of the stroller?! You two will be devastated if we lose Obie just because we wanted to bring him trick or treating,” Oliver points out and Felicity approaches him and goes onto her tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek.

“Nice try. Obie’s wearing a harness and he’s clipped into the stroller. He can move around in it but he’s not going anywhere. Besides, he’s going to get all kinds of attention and he’ll eat that up. You know he loves the spotlight,” Felicity hums, going over to the cat in question and scratching beneath his chin lovingly. 

And that is how Oliver finds himself spending one _very_ long night as part of the most attention grabbing group costume of Starling City’s Halloween scene. They get stopped for pictures so often that their trick or treating is actively hampered by it, but William doesn’t seem the slightest bit phased. He proudly poses beside Obie, who hams it up as if he can sense every time a camera is near. And when William feeds Obie the small, frog shaped treats he asked Oliver to help him make for Obie? People lose their damn minds. 

It’s an exceedingly long night. But even Oliver can’t complain because at the end of it? He gets the parents of one of William’s classmates to take a great photo of him, Felicity, and William (and of course Obie) outside of Oliver’s house. Years later, he’ll point this photo out as their first complete family picture. But for now? It’s the picture that captures Oliver’s happy place.

His girlfriend, who he is falling deeper and deeper in love with by the day. His son, who makes his life whole. And the cat that somehow, seems to be digging his claws deeper into everyone’s hearts.

Everyone’s heart except Oliver’s. Of course. No way is he going to let his guard down around that cat. 

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Birthday Abby love. <3


End file.
